Hysteria
by Nelem
Summary: When Jack, a struggling young musician, is recruited to be a singer for world famous band The Guardians, his world is turned upside down. To make matter worse, he finds in nearly impossible to avoid the band's former singer and bitter rival, Pitch Black... M for future chapters, will be Blackice / Jack/Pitch.
1. Chapter 1

Thursday is by far the most mundane day of the week for Jack Frost.

He wakes up slowly when the sun is high in the sky and everyone else has been up for hours, rolling out of bed and running a hand through his messy white hair. Barefoot and still fully dressed in yesterday's garb, he grabs some cereal from the nearly-empty kitchen in his apartment, sitting at the table and listening to the neighbors yelling in a language he doesn't understand.

Yup, nothing out of the ordinary here. Thursday is, without a doubt, the most ordinary day of the week. Or so he thinks.

Jack's grown accustom to this way of living; sleeping in late, floating through the day until night falls and he can really start living. Tonight, like most Thursdays, he's got a small gig at a local bar. It's not much, but at least they're paying him enough to restock the shelves. Besides, he's not really in it for the money – or at least that's what he tells himself – he's in it for the music. He's never been much of a people-person, but when he's on stage he sure as hell knows how to connect to the audience. He's been told time and time again how _happy_ his music makes people. Sometimes, he wishes he could harvest that power and use it outside of his musical career, but somehow the music seems to be key.

_Oh well,_ he sighs to himself. At least he has the music.

It's already 2 in the afternoon, and he needs to be to the bar an hour before his show at 7. Jack knows he should be practicing, but anxiety is getting the best of him. It's just a bar, he knows that rationally, but rumor has it that every now and again producers like to pop up and spot new talents for their labels. Mostly smaller companies, but still, being signed could _seriously_ help him along. Not that he needs it, of course not. "I'm doing perfectly fine like this." Jack says unconvincingly to the empty room as he flops down unceremoniously on his couch and flicks on the TV.

He's greeted by the faces of four famous musicians. One of them, a petite, pretty girl with hair dyed in just about every color of the rainbow, is speaking to and interviewer.

"We're not splitting, no, in fact, we're going to jump back in to action as soon as possible." She states with plenty of gusto. Jack raises an eyebrow. He'd been a little surprised when, about a month ago, Pitch Black, the singer of The Guardians had announced his retirement with little explanation. The guy always seemed like a bit of an asshole, so it wasn't really _that_ surprising, but the band had been doing so well. They'd put out 3 chart-topping singles in a row, and they really showed no signs of slowing down until the incident. Still, it was a relief to hear that they were staying together.

"We'll be finding a new singer." The bassist and leader of the band, North, is saying. "We want to have a new start." His voice is deep and accented, and slightly intimidating, but still holds an air of friendliness. "We will always be the same band, but we want to find someone who will help give us a new perspective. After this hardship, we need to make music that will spread happiness, music that is... fun." He finishes rather inelegantly.

Jack's lips curl upward ever-so slightly. Fun, huh? He could see it happening. Some of their songs had an lighthearted easiness to them, the kind of song that Jack could easily relate too. He felt like Pitch had always been holding them back a little in that area, anyways. "Fun" somehow didn't seem the man's style.

A quick gasp escapes Jack's lips when the screen flickers to a new location. "Is that..." he wonders out loud, and then the announcer says in an awfully cheerful voice, "We're here with Pitch Black..." he doesn't even catch the rest of her words, because he's too captivated by the man himself. He sits tall, taller than usual that is, in the seat next to the interviewer, looking impossibly calm as he's surrounded by screaming fans. Dressed in all black, Jack is stricken by how very _different_ he really is from the rest of his former band mates. He has a certain elegance that was never really noticeable before. Realizing that the man in question is speaking, Jack draws himself back to reality.

"I am not here to discuss the details of my choice." The dark haired man states smoothly in response to whatever he'd been asked. "But I most certainly intend to continue to pursue music." The crowd cheers, and Pitch's expression shifts very, very slightly into something not too different from irritation. "In fact, Nightmare entertainment has offered me a solo contract, which naturally I accepted. I will begin working on my solo album in the near future." This time, the crowd explodes. Jack's eyebrows are halfway up his head, and he quickly switches off the television. Not only had Pitch left the guardians, but he'd left them to join their label's competitor? A bold move, and kind of a dick move too, Jack decides. Not for the first time, he feels a moment of gratitude for his lifestyle. Being a major musician like that seems pretty damn dramatic. Shrugging the thought off and kicking his feet up onto his small coffee table, Jack lazily picks up his guitar and begins playing through one of his newer songs.

By the time 6 rolls around, Jack's barely made it to the bar. He arrives in a rather haphazard state, out of breath from the decision to walk the 2 miles between his apartment which he is now starting to regret. In a last-ditch attempt to look somewhat professional, he has thrown a blue button down shirt on over a pair of black jeans, but his hair is still unruly as ever. When he walks inside, heart still racing a little, he is met by a rather angry older man.

"You're late!" The man scoffs at Jack.

"I – what? You said-"

"Show starts in 5 minutes, get up there, okay?" the man cuts him off and storms off abruptly.

Jack blanches. He's used to having time to prepare, because despite the number of years he's been doing this, he's still very prone to stage fright. It doesn't help that there's a good turnout tonight. He recognizes some of the faces - "fans" perhaps, although it makes him a little uncomfortable to think of them as such. More than half of the people are probably here for the band that's playing after him, but it is a little reassuring to know that he won't be playing awkwardly to a small group tonight. The bigger the crowd is, he feels, the more they feed off each other's energy and the more fun he can have with it. On the other hand, he knows that a bigger crowd sets a higher expectation. There's this many people here because they expect something worthwhile, and although deep down he knows he can probably meet that standard, the thought is still unnerving.

Jack walks onto the stage, ears ringing as the crowd quiets down a little. He sits on a stool at a mic, casually, and smiles widely at the audience.

"Hi." He says awkwardly, "I'm Jack Overland." A few cheers and whistles come from the crowd, and Jack relaxes a little. This part always makes him a bit uneasy. He realizes with a jolt of panic that he doesn't know what song to play first.

_Shit._

"Uh, this is, uh..." he pauses, then says the first thing that comes to mind. "This is a song that I wrote two days ago."

Well, at least it's one of his more upbeat songs.

He plays a few quick, jaunty chords, takes a deep breath, and starts singing softly.

_I am wrecked. I am overblown,  
I am also fed up with the common cold._

He pauses briefly, and then belts out the next few lines with as much gusto as he can muster._  
But I just hate to say goodbye  
To all the metaphors and lies  
That have taken me years to come up with. _

Jack smiles a little at that line. Half of his songs are just made up stories, not based on any personal events or feelings, partially because he doesn't have much of a "life" to speak of. He continues the song on with lyrics based on nothing whatsoever,

_Say it's true. Say you like me  
_"I like you." someone in the audience tosses in, and Jack grins as he sings._  
__Just for the night,  
__for me, it's been eternity..._

In reality, it could be anyone. He's been lonely most of his life, and he's not sure if anyone's actually said "i like you" to him. He panics for a second and realizes he can't remember the next lines. Glancing around the room, he improvises as he eyes a couple drinking lazily at a small table,

_And as I gently sip this drink,  
I think about my lack of future,  
And all the places I could learn to fall in love. _

He picks up the pace with his guitar, and he can see the audience getting into the flow. The lines seem to have worked, and he's finally settling into the music.

_I know I shouldn't waste my time,__  
__Wishing I'd been better designed,__  
__yet for some reason still think__I am wrecked. I am overblown._

_I am also fed up with the fucking common cold!  
When I just want to feel alive for the first time in my life,  
I just want to feel attractive today!_

The song ends abruptly, but the crowd loves it. Jack is grinning genuinely this time as he scans the audience looking for familiar faces, and he catches a glimpse of bright blue in the corner of his eye. On the edge of the audience, a man with blue hair is staring at him with intense focus. Jack squints, trying to recognize his face. He seems oddly familiar, but Jack can't quite put his finger on it...

And then it hits him. The man is with bodyguards, and more than a few people are throwing wide-eyed glances in his direction. That man is Aster Bunnymund, a guitarist for The Guardians.

_What the fuck?_ Jack thinks to himself, eyes darting around the crowd, and he wonders if he accidentally said it out loud. The expectant glances from his audience tell him he probably didn't.

"Uh," Jack stammers again. "Thanks! This next song, on the contrary, is one of my oldest."

He's going to make it to the show, and then he's going to figure out exactly what one of the most famous musicians in the world is doing in a place like this.

Maybe it's not such an ordinary Thursday after all.

* * *

Song Used: Attractive Today by Motion City Soundtrack


	2. Chapter 2

Notes:  
A couple of things -  
First, sorry for the slow updates. I don't know how many people are actually reading this but I hope the time between chapters won't be too off-putting!  
Second... There is Pitch in this chapter! The chapter is still a bit of set-up though. It probably seems pretty slow at the moment, but things will certainly pick up from where this chapter ends.  
Lastly, the song used is Drunken Lament by Ludo. Good band, check them out. They have quite a few songs that remind me of Jack and Pitch.  
As always, thanks for reading!  
Oh, and also, check this story out on AO3! I'm under the same name there. Somehow the formatting always ends up a bit better there.

* * *

As it turns out, Jack doesn't have the chance to track Aster down after the show, because the second he hops off the stage, he's being grabbed by an incredibly firm hand. It's not Aster who's grabbed him, but one of his two present bodyguards. They should be incredibly daunting, but their series of unintelligible grunts that seem to serve as some sort of bodyguard code are more amusing than threatening.

Nevertheless, they seem adamant on not speaking to Jack directly, and to his utter dismay, nobody spares much more than a concerned glance as they drag him out of the bar.

"Hey, hey, what is going on here!?" Jack sputters as they exit into the frigid night. There's no answer except for another grunt, and Jack actually starts to panic as they edge up on a limo.

"You're not planning on taking me somewhere, are you?" The door is opened, and the blood is rushing through his ears as he realizes that yes, they are indeed taking him somewhere.

"This is kidnapping! Hey!" He twists and struggles, trying to escape the bodyguard's grasp, but he's much less powerful, and next thing he knows he's been thrown into the back of the limo and they're off before he has time to really react.

Breathing heavily, Jack scans the small area. The window between him and the driver has been rolled up, and he bangs on it in desperation with no avail.

Groaning in resignation, he leans back into the padded seat and buries his face in his palms for a minutes. He considers calling someone for help, but something about this situation makes him feel like he's not in imminent danger. When he finally gathers himself and looks up again, he realizes a small note has been attached to the seat in front of him. Jack peels the note off with trepidation, turning it over in his hands a few times before reading the neatly scrawled note.

_Jack,_

_Sorry about this. Hope my assistants weren't too rough_

_The ride is about half an hour. You aren't in any danger._

_-The Guardians_

"Oh my god." Jack grumbles darkly. "This can't be for real." He doesn't know whether to laugh or throw a tantrum. Deciding against both, he lays himself across the long seat, sighing up at the ceiling. It's almost too much to comprehend right now – potentially being kidnapped by a group of rock stars with no explanation on what was supposed to be a perfectly ordinary Thursday night. It feels like something from a dream, and Jack idly pinches himself even though he knows fully well that he's awake. Still, he refuses to accept the stupid note, it's probably just an elaborate prank from one of his better-off musician friends, if he can really call anyone that. There's a couple of bands that like to try to drag everyone into their party scene, and he honestly wouldn't put it past any of them to pull something as insane as this.  
Outside, they speed past the buildings of the inner city toward the business district, and Jack realizes he's pretty much helpless at this point. He rolls over on to his side, closes his eyes, and vows to bring this scandal to every news source he possibly can if this is seriously being conducted by the Guardians. Which it isn't, of course. No way.

Presumably half an hour later, Jack is being shaken by the same pair of large hands that had taken him away in the first place. Rubbing his eyes groggily, he scrunches he face in irritation when he remembers where he is again. The bodyguard grunts at him and points to the doors of a large office building that bares the Man in Moon Entertainment company's logo. Jack springs out of the limousine with record speed and lets out a yelp before he can stop himself, shaking his head and blinking a few times.

"Is this a joke?" He wonders out loud, and the guard shakes his head somberly. He almost looks sympathetic. At this hour, only a few of the rooms in the tall building are lit up, and the reception room is eerily dark. The guard motions for Jack to come with him, and for a split second he considers running, but what the hell, they're actually _here_ and he'll be damned if he doesn't figure out what all of this is about. The guard unlocks the front doors, beckons him to an elevator, and keys in the 22nd floor.

"You gonna tell me what's going on?" Jack frowns at the larger man, whose eyes dart away suspiciously. He starts whistling an tuneless song in response to Jack's question.

Jack chuckles inwardly. It's almost like he's dealing with a child; the man doesn't stop whistling until the elevator dings.

When the doors open, Jack expects some sort of greeting by someone, _anyone_ who is actually willing to talk with him, but all he sees is a dark and unpleasantly stereotypical office setting. It's silent, and for a second Jack has the sinking feeling that he's fallen for some shitty, demented plot to get himself murdered. The thought doesn't haunt him for too long, because a rather shrill voice makes itself present, although seemingly a ways away.

"You did WHAT!?" It's a woman's voice, and the tone is frankly really intimidating. A man's voice responds with something Jack can't quite make out, and feeling uncomfortable, he turns to the giant bodyguard, who just shrugs. Seconds later, the voice is at it again, drawing nearer and nearer.

"Jack, I am so so so so so so sorry!"

Jack tilts his head, confused, and a girl rounds the corner, laughing uneasily and flicking on the light, causing Jack to shield his eyes.

"When I told him to bring you back, I didn't mean like tha- oh!" She interrupts herself with a little gasp. Jack removes his hand from his eyes, and he's met by a face that's just a little too close to his. Her purple eyes, probably contacts, speak for themselves, and Jack knows who it is instantly. Jack fails to back a "Holy shit" under his breath.

"You really are perfect for the job!" She flushes. Jack wants to ask her how she can tell that just by _looking_ at him, but he bites his tongue, not wanting to make this situation any weirder than it already is.

"Tiana." He nods, greeting her hesitantly. She beams radiantly at him, and as if she had read his mind, offers something of an explanation.

"Aster said you have just the right look for the job." She nods and then adds hastily, "And, we've heard your stuff." He looks at her quizzically, and she giggles a little, and says all in one breath, "We like it a lot, you have the perfect sound too! We all think that you could make a great addition, and oh, by the way, I'm sorry about the uh..." she pauses to compose herself, "the circumstances. I didn't think he'd, well..."

"Kidnap me?" Jack offers helpfully.

"Yeah... that." Her face goes flush again, and Jack actually feels kind of bad for her. They both fall silent for a moment, and Jack wonders if he should be feeling a bit more star-struck, but their awkward introduction is more amusing than anything.

"Wait. 'The perfect sound'?" He questions softly. "The job? What the hell is the _job_?" Tiana opens her mouth to respond and looking a little dumbstruck, she seems like she's going to say something profound, but she closes her mouth again, exhales slowly, and beckons him toward her as she steps quietly down the hall. Jack shrugs and follows her until come to an open door, and they're immediately ambushed by the remaining band members.

"Hey, mate!" Aster's calling, and he's followed by a rough "Come in, come in!" from the dark haired, bearded older man he recognizes as North, who gestures toward an armchair in the corner of the room. The room is soundproofed and pretty bare save for a large table, several guitars and a well-worn drum set; it's presumably a practice room. The star-struck feeling Jack's been expecting starts to sink in as he trepidatiously takes a seat. He flashes an attempt at a smile, but honestly, the gravity of the situation is making it impossible for him to do much more than just _sit_ right now. He's torn between belting out a _"what the hell is going on right now"_ or just staying silent. In all of his practiced wisdom and self-restraint, he instead decides on a good old "Oh my god, you guys are the real deal!" and springs out of his seat.

Tiana nods vivaciously and seemingly out of nowhere, a golden-haired man whom Jack recognizes as the keyboardist places a reassuring hand on Jack's shoulder for a moment.

North laughs, and it's a rumbling, satisfying sort of sound. "That we are, my friend! I am sure that you are wondering why we've brought you here today." The older man says warmly through his accent, absently twirling a large finger through his goatee.

Jack nods, feeling lost for words, and North looks like he's _finally_ going to give Jack the big picture, but Aster interrupts loudly.

"You enjoy the limo ride I set up for ya?" he inquires brashly, nodding for emphasis.

"Yes." Jack replies dryly, "I especially loved the part where I thought I was going to end up on the 11 o'clock news in a missing person report. It was a blast." Aster shrugs a little, glancing away, and Jack decides this small display of embarrassment is probably enough to get him by for now. He's certain he'll have a good time guilt tripping the guy later.

"Good!" Booms North, the sarcastic tone in Jack's voice apparently going over his head. "Now, as I say, there is reason we brought you here today." Jack perks up, his attention zoning in intently on North's words.

"Yes?" He's anxious now, clawing at his blue button-down.

"You see... we are looking for new singer."

The white haired boy nods knowingly for a second, that much is obvious. He lets the words register for a second, and then his eyes go wide. "H-hold on. You're not saying-"

"Ah! Shh." North hushes him abruptly, holding a finger to his own lips. "Jack, today is day for you to celebrate!" The band's leader beams, and then looks expectantly at the others, who start clapping as if they've been planning the whole ordeal. Hell, they probably have been. "Because today, we are offering you..."

Jack stares at the ground, silently wills North not to say what he thinks he's going to say. He's not ready for this, he can't handle something this big, there's no _way _he can...

"Position as our new lead singer!"

Shit. He said it. He actually said it.

Slowly, Jack raises his head, raking strands of hair from his pale face. He peeks up through his eyelashes, glancing carefully at the others. The band members are exchanging nervous glances, seemingly holding their breaths, except for North, who is still grinning at him expectantly.

After what feels like forever, Jack realizes nobody's going to say anything until he does. He takes a deep breath.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously, mate." The blue-haired guitarist insists, and Tiana nods vigorously at his side, purple eyes shining with encouragement.

_Wow._ Jack's heart is racing, and his next words come out rather unexpectedly.

"And... and why, exactly, did you think that I would say yes?" Jack nearly hisses, cringing internally when his voice comes out much more harshly than intended.

"We're the Guardians." Tiana states obviously, shifting her eyes around nervously. "We've been at the top of the charts, Jack, and I mean, well, you're a..." she stops to take a breath and compose herself, "You're a musician! Isn't this what you want? To make it big? Every artist wants to make it big!"

Jack looks at the floor awkwardly. He supposes it's true, or at least it was true at some point, hell, he's even sent demos to Man in Moon entertainment in the more determined days of his youth. To tell the truth, though, he's gotten used to his comfortable life as a small-time musician. He's never been in the spotlight for long, and while he knows his talent deserves more recognition, this who scenario might be pushing it just a bit.

"No!" he huffs, and the others look at him doubtfully. "I mean, okay, I could be better off, but I can't just go from the bottom to the top overnight! Besides, you guys are all serious business. I mean, all of this-" Jack gestures grandly around the oversized room, "is completely foreign to me. I'm a musician because I love music. I'm a musician because it's _fun_." He's pacing the room a bit now, not even bothering to hide his anxiety.

"Exactly!" North nearly shouts, and Jack jumps. "Is exactly what we need, Jack! We need _fun_."

Jack's mind flashes back to the television program from this afternoon, which now seems to have been eons ago. Hadn't they mentioned something about fun before?

"You want a new image." Jack states blankly, turning abruptly to look at the Guardians.

They all nod, nearly in synchronization.

"...aaaand you think that I can provide that image change."

More nods. Jack sighs again.

"I don't..." Something in the opposite corner of the spacious room catches his eye. "I don't... know..." he trails off, looking at the guitar that's drawn his attention. "Is that..." They're all following his line of vision now. "Is that Ombric's guitar!?" He blurts excitedly, and then curses himself for showing so much enthusiasm.

Aster's eyes narrow in a suspicious manner, and he grins darkly.

"Oh yeah, mate, that's his guitar alright. He left it to that old bat Manny when he retired, you know, as a thanks for all the years of support."

Jack's fingers are itching to touch it. It's not just _any_ guitar, it's the guitar of a rock _legend_, a musician he's looked up to for as long as he can remember.

"Sometimes," Aster continues deviously, "We like to play it. Use it for jam sessions. Recordings. It's absolutely _brilliant_ mate, I'll tell ya. A sound quality like no other."

Jack's whole body perks up, and he's instinctively being drawn toward the instrument. Aster and Tiana look at each other for a moment, and she nods almost imperceptibly.

"If you want..." Aster's walking along with him now, seemingly trying to pick his next words. "If you want, you can give it a go. Maybe we can play together, see what we can come up with..."

The second half of his sentence is totally lost on Jack. All the silver-haired boy has heard was "you" and "give it a go."

"Woah!" Jack barks, covering his mouth for a second, and then adds more softly, "are you for real? You trust me with this thing?"

The keyboardist places his hand on Jack's shoulder again, and gives a single nod at Jack, eyes pointed the the guitar. He then signs something fervently to North, who simply responds "got it, Sandy." Jack knits his eyebrows together in confusion for a moment, and then remembers that Sandy can't speak. He wants to ask what small man said, but he's a little preoccupied with the guitar at the moment.

Delicate pale fingers reach out and brush softly over the strings of the electric guitar in it's stand, and Jack feels a little spark of excitement at the soft sound. Glancing over his shoulder at North, who nods encouragingly, he picks up the guitar, slinging the strap over his shoulder, and plays a chord. It's not plugged in to an amp, but the sound is clear and sounds delightfully pure. Jack plays another chord, and then another, and it feels so natural that he almost forgets where he is for a second. The next chord he plays shakes him back into reality, though, because it's _much_ louder and he realizes someone has plugged him in.

"Oh, God." Jack hums in approval at the sounds this instrument is making. "It really is beautiful."

"Is good, yes?" North chimes in, suddenly next to Jack. "You mind if I join?" he gestures to the bass guitar in his hands, and Jack smiles.

"Go ahead." There's no way he can say no now, not after they've given him this opportunity.

Jack plays a melody of chords and North melts his notes on his bass in with impressive ease. Smirking at the older man, Jack picks up the pace, playing with more ferocity and changing chords a bit unpredictably, but, to Jack's amusement, North has no problem keeping up. A few seconds later, Aster is picking up his own guitar, and Jack is almost excited to show the bastard up. Aster's almost disappointingly good at imposing himself into their music, though. He picks at individual notes with his fingers at a rather alarming speed and now it is Jack who is having a hard time keeping up. Frustrated at no longer being in the lead, he struggles to keep up with the other guitarist, trying to anticipate his notes before they come and at least harmonize as best he can. From his side, North laughs richly. Jack has to hand it to the two men he's playing with – they are _really_ good at working together. It's not something Jack does often, and he finds himself intrigued by the whole exchange.

Suddenly, the sound of drums breaks the flow of the music in the room, and Jack's train of thought snaps. Everyone stops playing, attention now focused on a grinning Tiana sitting at her drum set.

"What?" She questions innocently, "you didn't think I was just going to sit by and let you guys have all the fun, did you?" Before anyone can really respond, she launches into a familiar rhythm.

A little _too_ familiar.

Aster responds with his guitar a few seconds later, and Jack freezes. He must look a little scared, because Aster shoots him a raised-eyebrow look.

"You know this song?" The blue haired guitarist asks in a rather challenging tone as he and Tiana drag on the song intro a little longer than it's supposed to be.

"Yeah..." Jack replies hesitantly. He knows the song, it was a fairly popular early hit of the Guadians.

"You wanna sing it?"

"Um..." Jack doesn't really know how to answer. It seems a little strange to be in this position, taking over a song written by somebody else, but he doesn't want to end this impromptu jam session just yet.

Sandy pops up on Jack's left, seemingly out of nowhere once again, and nods with an endearing ferocity.

Jack shrugs. _Oh, what the hell, why not?_ He figures he might as well go all out now. "Let's do this." He grins.

Tiana and aster exchange glances of triumph, and move the song along with North joining in to support Aster's tune.

Jack nods to the beat, which is fairly perky, and forgetting the guitar for the time being, takes a deep breath, letting out the first word.

"Self..." His voice catches on the note, and he doesn't finish the rest of the first line. To Jack's surprise, nobody bats an eyelash, and they simply loop back into the introductory measure as if it were a natural part of the song. The gesture of comfort and patience warms Jack's heart a little, and he finds it a bit easier to get into the vocals this time around.

_"Self-loathing is quaint,"  
you told me, showing restraint. _

Jack's voice is a bit higher and raspier than the former lead singer's, but it fits the song with an ease that encourages him.

_Now you're gone and I'm lost,  
In the swells I am tossed -  
bobbing and choking and losing the fight in the fog. _

_You said, "Forever..." Tell me, why can't you stay? _

It feels a bit strange singing words that belong to someone else, but the others look so perfectly content with Jack's performance that he can't help but to launch into the chorus with a little more enthusiasm, ad he picks up the guitar again, strumming a little harmony as he sings.

_I'd ride in your pocket all day,  
but I just don't fit.  
Say the word and I'll change.  
I'm throwin' a party tonight.  
I drink more than a sailor on shore.  
Pour the rum in my eyes, tell me lies. _

The song actually sounds a bit like something that Jack himself would write. He realizes the choice in song was probably intentional, and smirks, rolling his eyes.

_Drunk since Saturday,__  
__without you, without restraint.__  
__It still stings where you stung.__  
__Water swings in my lungs._

It surprises Jack how well he actually knows the lyrics. He'd never really noticed the melancholy meaning in the words through the cheerful beat though.

_I'm starving for words that would ration my sadness away.__  
__Tell me, "Forever..."__  
__Tell me you'll come back to stay._

They launch into the chorus again, and everyone in the room is radiating a positive energy now. When the last section of the song comes up, there's an energy that Jack's _never _experienced as a solo musician, and it is absolutely captivating.

_You were the mermaid for me  
'til one day you found your feet  
leaving me in this god-awful bottle  
a model of heartache and grief. _

Jack's breathing heavy, but he manages to push through and repeat the chorus one final time to end the song. When he's done, the song ends rather abruptly, and the silence is quite nearly deafening. Jack stares at the ground, overwhelmed and unsure of what to think. The song had been so powerful, and they had all fit together so well, it was almost eerie. As he slowly peels his eyes off the ground, he's met by several conflicting expressions. North and Tiana are positively radiant, and Aster and Sandy seem to be a little bit in shock.

"That... was..." Tiana huffs, trying to catch her breath and find the right words to latch on to, "That was..."

"Amazing." Aster finishes. "I mean, that's not that I said. That's what Sandy said, I was just, you know, translating..." He stammers, "But yeah, it was pretty good."

"Good? Bah!" North interjects loudly. "Sandy is right, was amazing! That's it, Jack, You're hired!"

"Wasn't I already kind of hired?" Jack snorts. He knows what that was – they were trying to use the music to rope him in. And _damn, _their plan was _really_ effective.

"You'll say yes, won't you?" Tiana hops off her stool to stand in front of Jack. "You can't say no after that!"

Jack nods, he knows he can't reject this offer now, but it's still pretty damn overwhelming. He bites his lower lip, pulls at some of his soft white hair, and sighs.

"Alright." He starts, and Tiana lets out a little victory call. "I'll give it a _try_." Jack emphasizes. Tiana wilts a little but North claps his hand over Jack's shoulder.

"A try is good. We can record songs together, yes?" The dark haired man encourages.

"Yeah... maybe we can do that. But no promises, okay? I'm not exactly ready to go on world tour or something." Jack shudders.

"Well, it's a start." Aster nods with an air of authority.

"Can I... I'm going to go outside for a minute." Jack nods at the group, turning before anyone can respond. He dashes to the elevator and gets outside as quickly as he can, taking in the calming cold of the autumn air. Being outside has always helped relax him a little, especially in the fall and winter months. Closing his eyes, he leans against the wall for a second before drawing out his cell phone. He has _got _to clue in Jamie on some of this. He knows his best friend is going to go absolutely insane over the whole thing, if he even believes Jack at all. Maybe he can introduce them...

Before the thought can manifest itself fully, a disgruntled noise that sounds rather like a cough notifies Jack that he is not alone out here.

"And what do we have here?" A smooth, deep voice questions from his left, closing in on him. Jack glances up at the source of the voice. A pair of amber eyes stare right back at him, unwavering, and he has to look away for a second. When he turns back to the mysterious man, his heartbeat unwillingly speeds up. He's looking straight into the eyes of Pitch Black.

"Oh my god, could this night get any crazier?" Jack mutters, eliciting something of a chuckle from his present company. A rather demented half-smiles twists across the man's dark face. It's an oddly captivating smile, and Jack finds it hard to will his eyes away. Pitch Black is, in fact, far more interesting to look at in person than in magazines or TV. Perhaps it is simply the way the moon is casting shadows, but the man's narrow face seems almost regal, even with the chilling smile in place.

A slender yet strong looking hand reaches out, and Jack freezes. The hand gently comes to a rest under Jack's chin, and his eyes go wide, but he stands still, completely unsure of what to make of this situation. The long fingers push Jack's chin to one side, and then to the other, as if Pitch is inspecting him... which he probably is. Something about the touch is electrifying, and it takes Jack a moment to come to his senses.

"What the-" Jack starts, but is immediately cut off.

"A new talent, perhaps?" Pitch muses, almost as if he is talking to himself. "It's terribly late, they really ought not to overwork the poor newcomers." his voice shows no trace of actual concern, only mild amusement.

"I'm..." Jack isn't really sure what to say. _"I'm your replacement, in fact, I just totally owned a song written by you in a beautiful jam session with your former band mates" _doesn't seem like _quite_ the right thing to say right now.

"Well, never mind, it's not important, is it?" Pitch lifts his head and straightens out. "If you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to." And with that, the man strides off at an impeccable pace, disappearing into the dark building.

Jack blinks and slowly raises his hand to touch the place on his chin where the heat from Pitch's hand still lingers. _What the actual hell just happened?_


End file.
